


Rebel Within Reason

by Lupana



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, I have no idea where this is going, Join me for the ride?, Mention of abuse, Original Character - Freeform, Other, Possible romance later on, Reader Insert, not sure yet - Freeform, slightly anyway, take it how you wish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 05:04:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10847040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lupana/pseuds/Lupana
Summary: Frema Viatori never expected to meet the Prince of Lucis and his loyal comrades. The guys never expected to have a fifth person tag along with them as they traveled across the country for a wedding. Fate seems to have other plans, however, and this mysterious traveler has her own agenda in mind.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first FFXV fanfiction! No idea what this journey will entail, so bear with me guys.

The nighttime air was cold, a stark contrast to the heat that the desert. Leide was known well for this, almost as much as it was known for the Hammerhead garage. Despite the chilly air, the people in the region slept soundly and peacefully, unaware of the outside world. Unaware that just a few miles away, someone was fighting to stay alive.  
A young woman crouched behind a rock, desperately trying to flatten herself against it and disappear. It took tremendous effort for her to control her breathing, and to stifle the gasping breaths that made their way out of her lungs. She knew she needed air, but air was just as important as silence when three hungry sabertusks could sense her presence. Soft growling and snarling filled the air. The young woman’s pounding heart couldn’t block the sound.

The beasts were right behind her, she just knew it. She could feel their eyes on her, and almost smell the awful stench of their breath. Or was it blood? She had no way of knowing, and wasn’t about to find out. Running was the only option.

Closing her eyes, she prayed that her death would be quick if she was to die. Before she could psych herself out, she reopened her eyes and ran as fast as she could, away from her rock and into the night.

 

********

 

Unbelievable. That was the only word Prince Noctis could use to describe his current situation. He was no walking thesaurus like Ignis, but there could not be a simpler adjective for pushing the freaking Regalia instead of actually driving it.

“Not exactly a fairy tale beginning,” that’s what Gladio had said. This was followed by a comment from Ignis about how they’d let themselves get carried away, followed by Prompto’s feeble but heart-filled attempt at peace. Because, “These things happen.”

Yeah, Noct admitted to himself, they did happen. That didn’t mean he couldn’t be miffed about it though. A good sulk was needed as soon as they reached Hammerhead. Whenever that turned out to be. In the meantime, Noct participated minimally in conversations, and tried to think less of the heat and his aching hands.   
“How much farther until we get to Hammerhead?” groaned Prompto. “I’m starving!”

“Didn’t you eat right before we left?” Gladio glanced up.

“Yeah, but pushing cars takes a lot out of a guy!” the young blond argued.

This made Noct laugh to himself. “He’s got a good point.”

“See, my buddy Noct gets it!”

“Stop yapping and start pushing!” That must have been the fifth or sixth time Gladio had to repeat those words and each time they got more annoying. Noct let out a soft sigh. What he wouldn’t give for a good distraction.

Suddenly, the car stopped moving, and the sudden change launched Noct and Prompto forward. The prince was able to catch his footing before falling face first into the asphalt. Prompto, however, stumbled for a few feet before finally tumbling to the ground. Even Gladio had slammed into the Regalia unexpectedly.

“What was that for?” Gladio snarled. “Why’d you hit the breaks, Iggy?!”

“Isn’t that a person?” Ignis pointed off to the side of the road among the scarce greenery. 

“Huh?” came Prompto’s voice as he got to his feet. “Where?”

“Ten o’clock, between those trees,” Ignis replied, pointing with a finger.

Adjusting his eyes, Noct looked, and there was the faint figure of a person walking along parallel to the road. They were limping badly.

“They look hurt,” Noct stated.

“My thoughts exactly,” Ignis agreed.

“Hey, aren’t those Sabertusks following them?” Gladio added worriedly. Sure enough, this was the case. A whole pack of them were following the figure. It didn't take much to figure out why.

“Why don’t they fight?!” Prompto asked. “Don’t they have a knife or something to defend themselves with?”

“Looks like they’ve had a tough time,” Gladio replied. “It’s possible whatever weapon they had is lost, or broken.”

“Well, what should we do?” Prompto continued on.

Noct finally spoke up again, coming to a decision. “Let’s go lend a hand.”

Wordlessly, the parking break was set, and the four friends raced off to assist. Noct summoned his sword and warped to the nearest beast, cutting its life short in a half dozen swings. Even with the hot sun beaming down, there was something to be said for how invigorating it could be battling deamons. A few moments later, the clanging of swords and the snarling ceased, the battle was over.

“Good job, everyone,” Gladio praised. “You gave it your all.”

“We nailed them!” Prompto cheered.

“Indeed,” Ignis said with a subtle eye roll. “But where has the rescued gone?”

His unusual phrasing took a moment to sink in, but when it did, they looked around and noticed no one. “They were just here…” Noct mused, glacing around the immediate area. What the heck?

“Over there,” Ignis pointed towards s group of boulders. “I saw movement between those rocks.”

“Best check it out then,” Noct agreed and trotted on ahead.

“I sure hope they’re okay,” Prompto spoke softly, his words almost going unnoticed.

“Well,” Noct shrugged, “we’ll find out soon enough.” The boulders were laid out in such a way that there was only one way in or out. Granted, Noct allowed, warping overtop was an option, but not everyone had such powers. They had to be there.

As he came around to peer between the rocks, his eyes rested on a young female, not much older than he or Prompto. Immediately, he noticed that she was indeed worse off than they anticipated; streaks of blood on her face, and bruises everywhere.

“Over here,” Noct called. “She’s in here.”

A chorus of, “She?” resounded among the three as they rushed over. The second the young woman realized she was found by them, she let out a blood-curdling scream.

 

***********  
**

The scream caused Noct to stumble backwards, and he promptly fell flat on his backside. Normally Prompto would have burst out laughing and grabbed his camera to savor such a moment forever. However, he had jumped too hearing the noise. “What the?!”

“Easy!” Ignis tried to soothe. “You’re safe now. The sabertusks are gone!”  
No affect.  
“Lemme try,” said Gladio, stepping up. “Ma’am, it’s alright, you got nothing to fear.”

Prompto watched as Gladio approached her. The girl’s eyes seemed to bulge right out of her head, and somehow, her screaming intensified.

Ignis grabbed a fistful of Gladio’s jacket and hauled him back. “Stop, she’s even more wary of you then the rest of us!”

“How can one person make so much noise?” Gladio muttered.

Prompto barely heard him. He was focused solely on the girl. The girl who was digging the soles of her worn-out shoes into the dirt, trying to keep as much distance as possible between herself and them. The girl who’s screaming was not just a defense mechanism. Prompto didn’t really know how he knew this, but he didn’t question it. She was not only terrified out of her wits, but calling for help. It sent a shiver down his spine.

A second later he blinked, shaking himself. “Let me try.”

“I suggest we back off and part ways,” Ignis countered.

“What?!” Prompto squeaked. “She needs us!”

“It’s clear she doesn’t want help,” Gladio shrugged, still cringing from the never ending scream.

“Yes, she does!” Prompto insisted. “I know she does! Please, we have to do something!” He desperately turned to Noct, begging for the chance. If anyone could be convinced, it was him.

Noct finally nodded. “Go on, then.”

Prompto didn’t waste a second. He crouched down low and started for her. She was stirring up dust from all the kicking she was doing, but he could still see the panic in her eyes.  
“Hey, I wanna tell you something,” he said calmly. For three seconds, she stopped screaming and was hyperventilating instead. “I know you’re scared,” Prompto began. “I’m always scared, too. So, I can tell these things.”

There must have been something either in his soft blue eyes or his words that grabbed her attention, because she still hadn’t resumed screaming. The other three took a collective sigh of relief in the newfound silence.

In these precious few seconds, Prompto examined her appearance. Along with the blood streaks on her face and various bruises, her pants were shredded, and Prompto could see more blood underneath the strips of cloth. More bruises lined the visible skin on her arms and face. Additionally, she was red with sunburn, and her hair was a dark, matted mess. Most of all, he couldn’t quite get over just how intense those eyes of hers were…

He’d yet to move but a few steps closer toward her, fearing another outburst. Now, he took one more. “My name is Prompto. What’s yours?”

The girl blinked, and shook her head slowly.

“You don’t have a name? Or you don’t want to tell us? That’s okay, too.” She shook her head again, and gently placed her fingers to her throat. Prompto finally understood. “Oh. You can’t talk.”

She gave a small nod. Ever so slowly, she relaxed, and her arms fell to her sides. Before, they had been wrapped around herself protectively. Now Prompto could see that her top was even more worn than her pants.

Without much thought, he slipped off his sleeveless jacket, holding it out to her. “Here, you can wear this. I don’t mind.”

Tentatively, she reached out, never taking her eyes off him. Just as her fingers were touching the leather, Ignis came and laid a hand on Prompto. This spooked her, and she retracted her hand.

“Prompto, a word?”

“Dude, you’re scaring her!”

“Now,” Ignis repeated.

“Alright, coming.” He dropped his jacked on the ground, and then followed Ignis to where Noct and Gladio were standing off to the side. The former was wearing a pleased smile at Prompto’s success, while Gladio just looked… closed off, Prompto decided.

“So, you got her to stop screaming,” Gladio murmured. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”

“In my defense,” Prompto began smugly, “I am the least threatening out of all of us.”

Ignis huffed, though whether this was in amusement or annoyance, Prompto couldn’t tell. “Indeed, it appears you’ve made quite the impression on this young lady. That isn’t what we need to discuss.”

Before Prompto could ask what Ignis meant by that, Noct spoke up. “What’s her name?”

“Dunno, she can’t talk.”

“What do you mean?” Gladio asked. “She could certainly scream well enough.”

Ignis placed his fingers on his chin. “Unusual, but not impossible. Trauma tends to affect the human body in unexpected ways. Depending on what she’s been through, she could very well have lost the ability to speak.”

Prompto’s heart sank just a little further in his chest. “We have to help her, then.”

“She doesn’t want our help,” Gladio insisted.

“How can you say that?” Prompto shot back. “What if she was Iris?”

The older man’s eyes flared at the suggestion of his baby sister being in this position, but Ignis put a hand on Gladio’s shoulder.

“Enough!” he silenced the bickering. “I’m as concerned for her wellbeing as you, Prompto. We have to handle this delicately, or we risk making her situation worse.”  
“What could be worse than leaving her behind?” he countered. No one had an answer for him this time.

Gladio sighed. “I’ll leave it up to His Highness.”

Noctis was suddenly met with three pairs of eyes, the most intense being Prompto’s. After a long silence, Noct muttered, “Give it a shot. But we can’t force her.”

“Got it!” Prompto replied before speeding back over to the woman in the rocks. In that time, she had slipped on his jacket, and clutching it with her fists. Kneeling down in front of her, Prompto met her eyes, which were still wide with fear. “Hey… sorry about that. My friends, they might look a little rough, but I promise they’re great. Even Gladio.”

The woman blinked, and continued staring at him. Prompto watched her, and saw the curiosity in her eyes. It was so obvious, but she was unable to voice it.

Prompto cleared his throat. “Look, we don’t know you, and you don’t know us. I get it, we’re strangers to each other, and that’s enough to put anyone on edge. Please don’t take this wrong, but you look like you need some help.”

A glare began to appear on her face until she seemed to remember what she looked like. After glancing down at her hands and tugging lightly on her shirt, she sighed, and didn’t attempt to glare anymore.

“I’m not saying you have to trust us,” Prompto continued. “Just… let us look at your wounds, give you some water, maybe a ride to the next town?”

There was a long silence, and Prompto held his breath. At long last, when the young woman looked back up at him, some of the intensity of her eyes was gone, and he knew what her answer was. Extending a hand towards her, which she took, Prompto helped her stand.

“There you go, easy,” he reminded. She took a step forward, face wincing as she tried to put weight on her left leg. Seeing this, Prompto put an arm around her. “Lean on me if it hurts. I’ll help you get to the car.”

One step at a time, the battered stranger was brought out of her hiding place. Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio watched the pair walk out together, and simultaneously tried to take in this girl’s appearance. 

“Well, look at that,” Gladio rumbled. “Prompto actually did it.”

Just his voice was enough to spook the girl, who gasped and jumped a little as he spoke.

“It’s alright,” Prompto tried to reassure her. “Gladio’s not so bad. Nothing to fear from the big guy. Now, other introductions. That’s Ignis, and this here is my buddy, Noct.”

Each either nodded or waved a hand as their name was mentioned. The strangers eyes rested on Noct for a long time, curious. She blinked, and so did he. Several seconds passed.  
“Uh… is there something on my face?” Noct asked, absently rubbing at the back of his neck.

Embarrassed, she looked away and shook her head.

“Perhaps,” Ignis suggested, “she recognizes you by your family name. There aren’t an abundance of Noct’s in Eos, after all.”

As this, the girl lifted her head and gasped. Now it was clear to everyone that she knew this was Prince Noctis of Insomnia. Letting go of her grip on Prompto, the young girl threw herself onto the ground in a bow. The guys would have laughed, if the situation had been a bit less dramatic, and she hadn’t been so hurt.

“You really don’t need to do that,” Noct stammered with embarrassment. “Just… stand up. I’m not formal like that.”

She leaned back onto her knees, wincing as she did so. Seeing her struggle to stand back up, Prompto lent a hand. “We don’t have any potions with us, do we, Ignis?”  
“I’m afraid not,” he replied. “The nearest place to acquire these would be Hammerhead, most likely.”

“So… back to pushing?” Noct sighed.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Gladio waved them on, leading the way. Noct fell in behind him, followed by Prompto and the stranger, leaving Ignis at the rear to keep an eye on everyone.  
Once they reached the car, Noct opener the door for the girl to climb in, and she took a seat in the back. The four took their positions once more; Noct and Prompto on each side, with Gladio pushing from behind and Ignis in the driver’s seat.

Grunts soon filled the air again, along with the hot, sticky afternoon sun. The wounded woman was stiff and unmoving in the back seat, though as each of them watched, they could see her eyes darting. The silence was deafening.

Well, this still wasn’t a fairy tale beginning, but at least everyone had stopped complaining.


	2. Chapter 2

It felt like hours had passed until Hammerhead was finally in their sights. By the time the four had the Regalia off the road and in front of the garage, everyone was hot, tired, and hungry. Not to mention the silent, wounded, and very mysterious young woman they’d picked up had barely moved during the ride. Even once the Regalia was brought into Hammerhead, she remained seated in the car. Glancing around, she noticed that Prompto had collapsed to the ground, rubbing his hip and complaining about how much it ached. Noct had decided to sit down and rest against the Regalia. Ignis had gotten out and was standing around with Gladio, but that didn’t last long.

“Hey, there!” came a female voice. “Y’all kept a girl waitin’!” In walked Cindy, the resident mechanic, and immediately Prompto went slack jawed. “Now, which one’s the prince?”

Noctis stood, and introductions were soon made. Cindy didn’t fail to notice the wounded tag-along, however, but she kept quiet for the time being. While Cid examined the car, Prompto got off the ground, helping the nameless girl to stand and join everyone else outside.

Once Cid was finished griping at Noctis and started in on the Regalia, Cindy was quickly asking questions. “Are you alright there, ma’am?”

No doubt the wounds on her body stood out like a sore thumb and were drawing attention. The girl opened her mouth, but then seemed to remember her condition and promptly closed it, shaking her head.

At this, Ignis cleared his throat. “We became acquainted with one another on the way. She’s… been through a lot, so it appears. Would you happen to know where we might acquire some curatives, miss Cindy?”

“You can buy ‘em right here in town at the local supply store.” Cindy proceeded to point out the exact location, and Ignis walked in that direction after thanking her.Meanwhile, Prompto did his best to make the girl feel more comfortable, while simultaneously trying not to openly gawk at Cindy. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, miss. You’re in good hands now. No one is better at potions than Iggy. Or anything, for that matter. He knows his stuff.”

She offered him a soft smile that was barely there on her face. Seeing Prompto’s face light up almost made her glad for coming along with them. Almost. Well, she’d get a few potions in her, a good meal or two, and then go on her merry way.  
Just seconds later, however, Ignis returned empty-handed. “It appears that our currency does us no good,” he explained with a sigh.

The girl’s heart sank deep in her chest, and she lowered her head. Of course.

“What do you mean?” Prompto squeaked. Gladio and Noctis too came over hearing this.

“Credits do no good here. The currency of choice is gil, and we just used the last of our funds for the Regalia. If we need to purchase curatives and food, we would do well to find a way of earning gil.”

“You mean like, a job?” Noct asked, unimpressed.

“Possibly,” Ignis replied, pushing his glasses up closer to his eyes. “Perhaps we should consult miss Cindy on the matter.”

Gladio humphed. “Maybe her ol’ man will give us a break if she asks him nicely for us.”

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe,” Noct said shaking his head.

“We won’t know until we try, right?” Prompto chimed, ever the positive one. “What do you think, Noct?”

The prince shrugged. “Guess I could ask.” 

“That’s the spirit,” Gladio rumbled, reaching to give the prince an approving slap on the back. Noct groaned at this and stepped away before his bodyguard had the chance to do it again.

Meanwhile, the girl watched all of this with curious eyes. They were a determined bunch, she’d give them that. But in her mind, determination wasn’t always a good thing.

A few moments later, Noct returned with Cindy in tow. “So, Cindy has an offer for us,” he began.

“Sure do,” Cindy replied. “There’s always a need for some hunters around. You can talk with Taka down at the restaurant for more information. There’s also this hunter named Dave that’s been outta contact. If y’all wouldn’t mind checking up on him? That’ll give y’all some gil. Since y’all are trying to help out this young lady here, I’ll give you a little something, too.” She handed them a few hundred gil. “Just don’t tell Pawpaw, alright?”

"We won’t,” Noct promised. “And thanks.”

“No problem. Oh, one more thing,” Cindy added before they could leave. “Your friend’s not in any shape for a hunt. Miss, why don’t you come hang out with me for a bit?”

She nodded eagerly at this, and with Prompto’s help, made her way over to Cindy. “You sure you’ll be okay?” Prompto asked.

“Dude, I think she’ll be fine,” Noct chuckled. “Come on, let’s go before it gets dark.”

“Right,” Prompto answered, blinking a few times. “We’ll see you when we get back then.”

Cindy and the girl watched as the guys started off into the desert. It wasn’t until they were almost out of sight that Cindy calmly steered her inside the garage. “I’ve got some old clothes that might just fit you,” Cindy began excitedly. “You can have a nice bath, too. All the warm water you’d like!” At her indifferent expression, Cindy chuckled. “Come on, every girl loves a bath. You’ll feel brand new, I guarantee it.”

Another pause, and then the stranger nodded. Cindy led her to the bathroom, showed her where the towels were, and promised that she could use any of the soap she’d like. “I’ll find you some clothes and bring them in for you after you’re all settled,” she told her before leaving. Once the door clicked, the girl sighed. She was alone again, at long last.

The first thing she did was turn on the water and let the bathtub fill as she stripped herself of her nasty clothes. She was nearly done when she caught sight of herself in the mirror and almost shrieked. She knew she was a mess, but… somehow she hadn’t expected all of this. The bloodstains, bruises, her hair… no wonder those guys had stopped to help her. She looked like something a deamon had chewed on and spit back out.

Forcing back the stinging in her eyes, she removed the rest of her clothes and then stepped into the water. She’d only just sat down when a breath escaped her. She could feel each and every muscle relaxing in the warmth of the water. She slid down the rest of the way into the tub so that only her face was above the water. She never even heard Cindy open the door and place a set of clothes on the counter. The warmth was too soothing to possibly ignore.

This was exactly what she needed; a change. A chance to start over, and wipe away her past. Well, the pessimistic side of her told her that would never happen. Not in a thousand years. But for the moment, she could at least pretend.


End file.
